There are worrying signs in Louisiana for higher education. From 2008 to 2014, the state decreased higher education spending per student by 41 percent. In that same timespan, tuition increased 66 percent at four-year colleges and 75 percent at two-year colleges. So, considering college in Louisiana isn’t getting any cheaper, what can you do to get an affordable education? For starters, do well in high school. The state’s Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS, is a series of scholarships for Louisiana high school graduates who are going on to pretty much any postsecondary program in the state. A 2.5 GPA and 20 on the ACT is enough to receive free tuition at a public college in the state. Take advantage of the program now because as of 2016, the state was discussing reducing funding to TOPS. No matter what you qualify for, we’re here to show you not only what Louisiana offers in terms of state financial aid but also which government agencies and nonprofit organizations have programs you can tap into during your college years.

How to Transfer College Credits in Louisiana

In Louisiana, college students can transfer credits between colleges and universities within the state. It is particularly easy to transfer core lower division courses, and Louisiana even offers a Transfer Degree Guarantee that enables students to make an easy transition from a two-year community college to a four-year public university in Louisiana.

To facilitate transfer of credits between schools in the state, Louisiana has a common course catalog. This catalog offers common course numbering and statewide common course descriptions. Schools recognize these common courses and accept credit from students who have taken a Louisiana statewide common course. Most courses are lower-level core education, but many upper level science courses are also available.

With the Louisiana Transfer Degree Guarantee, Louisiana students can take advantage of guaranteed transfer of associate degrees. Students are able to create a degree plan and meet program associate degree requirements at a two-year technical or community college. Provided the 60 hours are complete and a minimum grade of C is earned for each course, all 60 hours of coursework are guaranteed to transfer to a public four-year college or university in Louisiana. Students who transfer with an associate degree will enter the college or university with junior standing.

To find out how all of your completed coursework might apply to a new degree, visit the Louisiana Regents Master Course Articulation Matrix. The matrix shows common course numbers and titles and which colleges and universities within the state offer them.

State Financial Aid for Louisiana Students

The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) is the home of Louisiana college financial aid, with the state’s TOPS Scholarship Program being the best bet for funds for graduating high school seniors who want a cheap route to college. If you’re not eligible for TOPS, either because you’re a nontraditional student or because you don’t meet the academic guidelines, LOSFA has other scholarships and grants to look over, as well as the START Saving Program, a state-specific 529 fund. Most of LOSFA’s scholarships (even those which aren’t tied to financial need) are determined automatically after students submit the FAFSA. That’s why it’s essential that students take the step to fill out the form accurately. Regardless of your situation, you can get help filling out the FAFSA for free from College Goal Sunday, and then see what federal and state aid and affordable loans you qualify for.

Louisiana Student Grants

Summary: The Go Grant is the state’s sole mechanism for providing need-based financial aid. The award, which ranges from $300 to $3,000 a year, targets students who come from families with modest incomes, as well as adult learners returning to school.Eligibility: Louisiana residents are automatically considered if they have remaining financial need after taking into account all other awards from other sources.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA. Your award will be given automatically if you qualify, although you must submit the Renewal FAFSA in subsequent years to retain eligibility.

Louisiana Student Scholarships

Summary: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries encourages students to major in forestry, wildlife science or marine science by offering a $2,000-per-year scholarship to undergrads and a $3,000-per-year award to graduate students.Eligibility: Louisiana residents who are full-time students in a Louisiana public college can apply once they declare their major and complete 60 total credit hours with a 2.5 GPA (3.0 for graduate students).How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA between January 1st and July 1st. Turn the scholarship application in to LOSFA along with your college transcripts by July 1st. Provided you maintain full-time status and a minimum GPA, you can receive the award three time as an undergraduate and twice as a graduate student.

Summary: The highest rung of TOPS, the Honors Award pays not only full tuition at a public state college but also an $800 annual stipend. Students going to one of Louisiana’s 10 four-year private colleges receive an amount equivalent to public college tuition along with the stipend.Eligibility: Louisiana residents qualify by scoring a 27 on the ACT and earning a 3.0 GPA across 19 core courses in high school. They must enroll as a full-time student within one year of graduating.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA between your high school graduation date and July 1st to be credited with TOPS funding on your first college bill.

Summary: The third rung of TOPS, the Opportunity Award pays full tuition at a public state college. Students going to one of Louisiana’s 10 four-year private colleges receive an amount equivalent to public college tuition.Eligibility: Louisiana residents qualify by scoring a 20 on the ACT and earning a 2.5 GPA across 19 core courses in high school. They must enroll as a full-time student within one year of graduating.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA between your high school graduation date and July 1st.

Summary: The second-highest rung of TOPS, the Performance Award pays not only full tuition at a public state college but also a $400 annual stipend. Students going to one of Louisiana’s 10 four-year private colleges receive an amount equivalent to public college tuition along with the stipend.Eligibility: Louisiana residents qualify by scoring a 23 on the ACT and earning a 3.0 GPA across 19 core courses in high school. They must enroll as a full-time student within one year of graduating.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA between your high school graduation date and July 1st.

Summary: Students looking for occupational training instead of a bachelor’s degree are also eligible for TOPS. The TOPS Tech Award pays full tuition for such training at a state or proprietary two-year college. Students receiving training at an eligible four-year college receive an equivalent amount.Eligibility: Louisiana residents qualify by scoring a 17 on the ACT and earning a 2.5 GPA across 17 to 19 core courses in high school. They must enroll as a full-time student within one year of graduating.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA between your high school graduation date and July 1st.

Louisiana Student Loans & Repayment Programs

Summary: A federally funded program, the John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program repays the federal loans of Louisianans who work as public defenders or state prosecutors for three years. Five awards of $3,330 per year are given to the former and 10 awards of $1,650 per year are given to the latter.Eligibility: Applicants must have $20,000 or more in federal loans and be up-to-date with payments. They must also be licensed in Louisiana and working full time there as either a state prosecutor or a government employee providing legal representation to disadvantaged populations.How to Apply: Once you have worked full time as a public defender or assistant district attorney for an entire calendar year (from January 31st to December 31st), you can apply by submitting an online application by April 30th through the Louisiana Award System. You’ll then have to agree to continue your current employment for another three years.

Summary: Lawyers working in civil legal aid typically earn much less than their colleagues in other legal fields. To partially offset this imbalance, the Louisiana Bar Foundation (LBF) gives $5,000-per-year loans to state residents working in civil legal aid so they can in turn pay off school loans. Each $5,000 LBF loan is forgiven after one year of service with a nonprofit legal organization.Eligibility: Applicants must be Louisiana State Bar Association members employed full time in civil legal aid in the state but making under $50,000 per year.How to Apply: Submit an application detailing your loans, income and expenses, along with proof of employment and loan paperwork. Awards are given on the basis of applicants’ commitment to working with indigent populations

Summary: The Louisiana Department of Health pays up to $90,000 in loans for physicians and dentists who agree to serve for three years in designated health professional shortage areas. Other healthcare workers can get $45,000 worth of loans repaid by making the same commitment.Eligibility: To benefit, healthcare workers must be licensed in Louisiana and work full time in a public or nonprofit setting that accepts Medicare, Medicaid and sliding fees.How to Apply: Apply between April 1st and June 30th. You’ll need to gather quite a bit of documentation, so use this guide to make sure you follow the procedures.

Education Assistance for Louisiana Military & Veterans

Summary: Louisiana National Guard members don’t pay tuition at state schools for up to the first five years, which is typically enough to earn a bachelor’s degree.Eligibility: Louisiana National Guard members enrolled in a degree program in the state are eligible.How to Apply: Contact your school’s financial aid office for details on how to get the benefit.

Summary: Children of deceased or disabled veterans (and spouses of the latter) can attend public colleges in Louisiana without paying tuition.Eligibility: The program only applies to veterans who were killed or disabled while serving in wartime. The veteran, if deceased, must have lived in Louisiana for a year leading up to his or her service, and disabled veterans must have lived in the state for two years prior to a child’s enrollment. Spouses have 10 years to use the benefit, and children are eligible from 16 to 25.How to Apply: Contact your parish service office to apply.

Additional Support for Louisiana Students

Summary: Want to study something that’s not quite offered in Louisiana? The Academic Common Market can help. It allows students to go to out-of-state schools with unique programs but pay the rate for Louisiana in-state tuition.Eligibility: The program must be included in the Southern Regional Education Board’s directory.How to Apply: After being accepted to the program, submit an application to the Louisiana Board of Regents along with proof of residency, an acceptance letter and your tax return.

Summary: Current and former Louisiana foster students can get $5,000 for each year of college they attend.Eligibility: Youth are eligible between the ages of 16 and 21. They qualify as long as they did not permanently leave the foster system before turning 17.How to Apply: Submit the FAFSA, and contact your school’s financial aid office.

Summary: Students can get $600 in TOPS benefits during their last two years in a public high school if they enroll in college courses that apply toward a certificate in an approved training program.Eligibility: To be eligible, students must have at least a 2.0 GPA and have scored a 15 on the ACT, as well as have an approved five-year education and career plan on file.How to Apply: Submit an application, which includes a section to be filled out by your high school guidance counselor.

Cheaper College Living in Louisiana

The TOPS Scholarship can make college in Louisiana affordable. Unfortunately, the rest of life isn’t nearly as cheap. So if you need help paying the bills so you can stay in school, you’re going to have to ask for it. Luckily, there are places where people are waiting to hear from you.

The Department of Children and Family Services is responsible for running many programs that aid people with below-average incomes. Use the department’s LA CAFE web portal to apply online for initiatives such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (better known as food stamps) or the Child Care Assistance Program, which subsidizes day care and preschool tuition for parents attending college.

For healthcare, if the premiums you see on the Louisiana Health Insurance Exchange aren’t affordable even with the tax credit, skip over to the Department of Health, which runs multiple Medicaid programs for cheap (or free). For instance, there’s LaCHIP for kids in low-income families, LaCHIP Affordable Plan for kids in moderate-income families, and LaMOMS for pregnant women without insurance.

On-Campus Housing

One benefit of attending a big school like Louisiana State University is that there are a lot of housing options. Specifically, the university sets aside housing for full-time students 21 and older who have spouses and/or children so they can avoid the parties in the residence halls. Some smaller schools also have family housing — Nicholls State University has 20 one- and two-bedroom apartments. LSU-Eunice, on the other hand, has much less in the way of on-campus housing — just one group of apartments, in fact, because it’s a community college. But residents there can defer their rental payments until their financial aid package comes through. And keep in mind that some schools, including Louisiana Tech, require students to live on campus as long as a room is available, unless they’re married or living with parents. To determine what will work for you, use an online calculator to see how living on campus affects your budget compared to living further down the road. This exercise is tremendously useful, as colleges have a habit of overestimating off-campus costs.

Off-Campus Housing

With two-bedroom apartments renting for under $800 in Louisiana and on-campus housing prices disproportionally increasing, the calculator may have shown you’d be better off living off campus with a roommate. If that’s the case, you can still leverage the college’s resources to find a place away from the rest of the student body. LSU has an attractive off-campus housing service website that allows you to search not only for a place in your budget but also for a roommate. Consider, too, that living away from campus entails more than just having a different landlord; it also affects your eating situation, as most campus residents are expected to purchase a meal plan. That’s why Nicholls State offers commuter meal plans, which it estimates can save off-campus students 19 to 26 percent off the sticker price for dining hall meals. Once you’re aware of the costs and ready to find a place, go to LAHousingSearch.org or use student-centric sites like CampusRent.com. If you’re not to the point of being able to afford anything yet, look at the Louisiana Housing Corporation’s list of shelters or HomelessShelterDirectory.org.

Utilities

The good news is that electricity costs per unit in Louisiana are some of the lowest of any state. The bad news? It gets so hot in Louisiana that consumers there have to crank up the air conditioning, leading them to use the most electricity in the country, according to WalletHub’s 2015 rankings. Students living on campus can worry a little less about this, as they’ll have their utilities covered during the semester, but even they will be paying their own bills come summertime. So what can you do if you don’t want your apartment to turn into a sweat lodge but can’t afford to keep the AC on? The Louisiana Housing Corporation is again a good place to turn for information. Its staff can tell you about the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which pays a portion of the utility bills for families earning under 60 percent of the state median income. Another route is tapping into the Weatherization Assistance Program. Instead of letting all that cool air leak outside through drafty windows and doors, you can get a free audit and repair of your home, thereby reducing energy consumption and, ultimately, bills. Keep in mind, though, that priority goes to certain demographic groups, such as families with children.

If you don’t qualify for state or federal assistance, utility companies often have their own programs, though sometimes these use the same eligibility guidelines as government agencies, as with CLECO’s CARE Program. Still, it’s advisable to see what the utility company can offer. CLECO, for instance, which supplies 23 of the parishes in Louisiana with electricity, also runs the Energy Emergency Deferred Billing Program, which allows consumers to spread payments out over a year if the state declares an energy emergency, and a Levelized Billing Plan, which protects users from summer spikes by making bills roughly equal over 12 months.

Medical & Dental

LSU has a medical school — two, in fact — and a dental school, but they aren’t likely to come in handy for undergraduates because they are located in New Orleans and Shreveport, not Baton Rouge. No matter. Students typically want to use a campus health center anyway, which all of the schools in our rankings have, with the exception of LSU Eunice. The primary advantage is convenience, though you may need to decide whether to buy a college insurance plan or use the campus clinic as an out-of-network provider from your own insurance. One place where that isn’t a consideration is McNeese State, where the student health fee you are charged alongside tuition gives you the right to use the health center for free if you need urgent care or immunizations. LSU, which has about four times as many students, has a larger system, which includes a laboratory, pharmacy, physical rehabilitation, x-rays and specialty clinics for dental screenings, dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedic and ear, nose and throat.

One service that is either connected or separate from the health clinic is counseling. And at Nicholls State and the overwhelming majority of colleges, you aren’t charged for counseling, although a counselor will refer more serious mental health issues to an outside healthcare professional. If you’d rather go off campus for help to begin with, call the Human Services Authority in your region.

Students who need to go off campus for healthcare are looking at a field of uncertainty, with the state’s nine “safety net” hospitals for low-income residents facing budget cuts. But there are still community health clinics out there. Find federally qualified health centers at the Louisiana Primary Care Association website or expand your search to include other low-cost and sliding-fee clinics at FreeClinicDirectory.org. For dentistry in particular, use the Louisiana Dental Association’s list of community clinics if you aren’t close enough to New Orleans to take advantage of the lowered rates at LSU School of Dentistry.

Child Care

It should come as no surprise that a school as large as LSU would have a child care center with separate curricula for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Full-time students can cut 15 percent off their child’s tuition, and part-time students get a 7.5 percent discount. That’s on top of the School Readiness Tax Credit for state-approved child care facilities. If, unlike LSU, your school doesn’t have child care on campus, you’ll still have options with reduced costs. The state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) specifically targets families in which a parent is going back to school and gives them funds to help pay for child care. Find a licensed child care center at the Department of Education or find one based upon ranking by accessing the Quality Start website.

Transportation

LSU has Tiger Trails and Southeastern Louisiana University has Lion Traxx. Although the names are both mascot-related puns, the campus transportation services they represent are far different. The former takes students around campus and connects to the Capital Area Transit System so students can go anywhere in Baton Rouge free seven days and nights a week. The latter, though also free, operates four days a week and is limited to stops on campus. If you’re at a school without its own bus or shuttle system, make sure to scan its website for discounts and passes to the area transit system.

Food

You may not realize it because they’re not heavily advertised, but food pantries are popping up on campuses across the country to combat food insecurity. From our rankings alone, two colleges — Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University — have food pantries. What criteria must you meet before you can grab groceries for the week? You just have to have a current student ID card. For off-campus food pantries, first find the food bank serving your parish via the Louisiana Food Bank Association, then search for pantries near you. These food pantries will want some information about your financial status to make sure you’re eligible for assistance. If you have a baby — or are pregnant — you may also qualify for WIC, which allows you to get free groceries at the supermarket.

Find Support in Your Area

College in New Orleans on a Budget

The closest schools in our rankings to New Orleans are Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana University, both 60 miles away. That may still be close enough to hear the jazz music, given New Orleans’ reputation as a world-class festival city. If you’re a student at Tulane, in the heart of the Big Easy, you can hop on a streetcar, or if you’re at the University of New Orleans, you can take a regular bus. Both are part of the RTA network, which doesn’t offer student discounts; a month pass costs $55. Housing costs are a bit higher than the national average, but not much, especially if you’re renting. Due to the migration out of the city after Hurricane Katrina, nearly six percent of homes and apartments are vacant and up for rent — more than double the national vacancy rate. That means it’s a renter’s market, with the average studio going for $671 a month. Child care used to be cheap in NOLA as well, thanks to a proliferation of family childcare homes that received public funding. But that’s all changed. In 2005, there were nearly 2,600; now there are 24. As a result, there are fewer spots for children in child care, and the market prices have risen precipitously even as budget cuts are shrinking CCAP enrollment numbers.

Where to Go for Help in New Orleans

A lot of money has poured into New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina to rebuild the infrastructure and aid shaken residents. Due to well-publicized mismanagement of funds, however, that money hasn’t always reached the people who need it most. The four organizations below represent a sampling of nonprofit actors who are working to get support to those who need it:

College Track New Orleans works with underserved junior high school students and coaches them — with tutoring, financial advising and campus research — all the way through college graduation. Students in 8th to 10th grade can apply here.

The Housing Authority of New Orleans was around long before Hurricane Katrina struck, but it’s been quite active since then, helping the city rebuild its affordable housing. It has 10 different sets of properties with units set aside for people with low or moderate incomes. It also administers the local Housing Choice Voucher Program for people with lower incomes who want to rent modern homes in safe neighborhoods.

The Northshore Community Foundation runs five scholarship funds for students from the parishes of St. Tammany and Washington. Most are quite specific — the St. Tammany Cancer Fund, for instance, is earmarked for students from the district whose mother or father has died of cancer.

Total Community Action distributes LIHEAP funds to low-income families who need help with their utility bills, runs 16 Head Start centers for children under five, operates a credit union for people who have difficulty opening bank accounts, and provides family budget counseling through its Financial Futures program.

This is just a portion of what’s available. To get the full picture, search Vialink.org, the local website connecting residents to resources related to health and human services.

College in Baton Rouge on a Budget

Baton Rouge is a college town, and Louisiana State University — just minutes from downtown on Tiger Trails — is large enough to be a small city itself. Given the high student population, the Capital City has a nice mixture of affordable options for just about everything. Students can get a discount at the LSU Child Care Center, ride around the city for free on CATS, and rent an apartment for at least 10 percent less than the national average.

Where to Go for Help in Baton Rouge

Given Baton Rouge’s status as a busy state capital, residents can be certain they’ll find a local or state agency that can work with them to meet their needs.

100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge‘s Project Excel matches mentors to black high school males and entitles them to one of the organization’s college scholarships, while its ACT Preparatory Program tutors this same demographic with the goal of qualifying students for a TOPS Scholarship.

Baton Rouge Office of Social Services is the local government office that actually administers government money designated for assistance with utility bills (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), rent payments for people about to be evicted (Emergency Assistance Program) and quarterly food deliveries to those with modest incomes (Commodity Food Program).

Baton Rouge Youth Coalition takes promising high school students who, because of their home environment or financial pressures, might not otherwise go to college and coaches them on building solid study habits, navigating the financial aid process, acing the ACT and writing personal statements so they can get into — and excel in — college.

College in Shreveport on a Budget

Louisiana Tech in Ruston is an hour’s drive from Shreveport, which several two- and four-year colleges call home. Here’s the rub on the Port City: Homes sell for $90,000 there, compared to $170,000 in the country at large, but the lackluster economy (with more than a quarter of all households earning less than $20,000 a year) means you may not want to settle in Shreveport after graduation. Furthermore, the city’s status as a rural outpost — the nearest town even half its size, Tyler, Texas, is 100 miles away — means that unlike Baton Rouge and New Orleans residents, Shreveport’s citizens have fewer options for healthcare.

Where to Go for Help in Shreveport

Shreveport has all the usual nonprofit services one would expect from a small city. Here are a few to look into if you’re having trouble paying the bills or need a little extra help attaining a degree:

Caddy Community Action Agency is the local administrator of many federal, state and city social services, including LIHEAP, the Weatherization Assistance Program and Shreveport Water Assistance Program, all of reduce low-income residents’ utility bills. It also has 11 Head Start centers for three- to five-year-olds and two Early Head Start centers for babies. Shreveport residents can apply for these and other income-based assistance programs at either of the agency’s two community centers.

The Community Foundation of North Louisiana links students to 14 local scholarship funds, most of which are targeted at specific students. Geology majors will be happy to see five different scholarships available to them, but there’s also room for Homer, Springhill, Haynesville and Byrd High School graduates to get excited, as well as students with certain academic focuses.

Legal Services of North Louisiana gives pro bono legal advice to local residents drawn into civil proceedings they cannot afford. It specializes in cases involving automotive repairs, housing, utilities and healthcare. It also helps people with the paperwork for government assistance programs.

Martin Luther King Health Center & Pharmacy is only available to uninsured patients at a certain income level, so it won’t apply to most college students, who are typically required to provide proof of insurance. Still, its free clinic and pharmacy is vital to people who are in between coverage or who have family members that aren’t covered. Better yet, it works with patients to apply for Medicaid and/or subsidized private health insurance.

Shreveport isn’t just isolated in terms of geography but also in terms of online resources — the federal government’s 2-1-1 service to find local resources doesn’t reach the area. To get the full picture of how the city can assist residents, your best approach may be asking a staff member at Caddy Community Action Agency.

School Rankings

1

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge has a long list of famous alumni that ranges from basketball star Shaquille O'Neal to former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Financial aid is provided to 93% of full-time beginning undergraduates, with 50% receiving institutional grants or scholarships. Incoming freshmen can apply for several competitive academic scholarships, including the Penelope W. and E. Roe Stamps IV Leadership Scholars Award, which covers the full-cost of attendance for four-years and provides up to $14,000 for enrichment experiences, and the Chancellor's Alumni Scholars Award, which provides tuition exemption and a $2,000 study abroad stipend. Academically outstanding transfer students are eligible for the Tiger Transfer Scholarship, which provides awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per year.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

CAG Score 95.2

31,044 Students

2

Southeastern Louisiana University

Starting out as Hammond Junior College in 1925 with a faculty of three women and two men and 40 students, Southeastern Louisiana University is now the state's third-largest public university with more than 15,600 students and offering more than 60 degree programs. Entering freshmen with excellent scholastic records may be eligible for the Freshmen Honor Scholarships (up to $3,000 per year). An additional housing stipend (up to another $3,000 each year) may accompany this award for qualified recipients. Transfer students may be eligible for the Senator Ben Nevers Transfer Scholarships. This program basically awards the same benefits as the Freshmen Honor Scholarships, but may have different qualifying criteria for transfer students.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

CAG Score 94.9

14,487 Students

3

Nicholls State University

Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana is a public university that ranked 87th in U.S. News & World Report's 2015 list of the best universities in the Southern United States. Financial aid is provided to 95% of full-time beginning undergraduates and 34% receive institutional grants or scholarships. Freshmen are eligible for renewable academic scholarships like the $3,420 President's Scholarship, the $3,078 Dean's Scholarship and the $2,565 Academic Excellence Scholarship. Continuing students are eligible for numerous scholarships as well, including the $500 per year A+ Leadership Scholarship and the $800 per semester Alumni Federation Scholarship. State and federal grants are also available, like the Louisiana Go Grant, which awards up to $2,000 to Louisiana residents with financial need.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

CAG Score 94.9

6,292 Students

4

McNeese State University

McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana was founded as Lake Charles Junior College in 1939 and began offering four-year degrees in 1950. Institutional grants or scholarships are provided to 38% of full-time beginning undergraduates, with students receiving an average institutional award of $3,555. Academic scholarships are available to incoming freshmen and range from $100 to $3,200 per semester. Students admitted into the McNeese Honors College receive scholarships that cover tuition, fees, room, board and books, while students with proficiency in an activity or area of performance, like art, music or theatre, can apply for Performance Scholarships, which provide awards ranging from $100 to $1,200 per semester.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

CAG Score 94.6

8,237 Students

5

Louisiana State University Eunice

Louisiana State University Eunice is a two-year college serving about 2,500 students in the Tri-Parish area of southwest Louisiana. About two-thirds of students receive financial aid, with the average amount awarded for the 2013-14 year totaling $8,667. The average federal Direct Subsidized Loan was $3,250. LSU-Eunice participates in federal financial aid programs including Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, work-study programs and Stafford Loans. It also participates in the Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program, which covers tuition for incoming freshmen with qualifying ACT scores and high school GPA. High-achieving new and continuing students can also apply for merit-based scholarships funded by private sources such as businesses or other donors and administered by the LSU Eunice Scholarship Committee.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

CAG Score 94.6

2,738 Students

6

Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana is a public research university and space-grant college that ranked 201st in U.S. News & World Report's 2015 list of the best national universities. Financial aid is provided to 94% of full-time beginning undergraduates, with 65% of these students receiving institutional grants or scholarships. Incoming freshmen are eligible for merit-based scholarships that range between $1,200 and $14,700 per year depending on GPA and ACT score. Transfer students are eligible for the Outstanding Student Transfer Scholarship, which ranges between $1,000 and $2,000 per year and is also based on GPA and ACT score. Freshmen who are National Merit Finalists are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship, which covers tuition, fees and housing for four-years.

Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges